is there a better hip hop album than 'Illmatic"?

[mark414]

the standard Nas disclaimer: Hip Hop Is Dead is not Illmatic. Nothing ever will be. Nas and I are roughly the same age, so when his debut came out in 1994, it was a humbling experience for me. I was struggling through term papers while this slightly older dude from Queensbridge was writing the great literature of our generation and collaborating with producers I considered legendary. Pete Rock, Gang Starr's DJ Premier, Tribe's Q-Tip, and Large Professor of Main Source had produced a dozen or more of my favorite albums by the time they worked on Illmatic, and each dropped a gem on Nas, a rookie. (The Black Album was not the dawn of Dream Team production.) AZ, the only guest, got one verse on "Life's a Bitch", a verse so perfect it still haunts him in the same way Illmatic's every verse haunts Nas. It's a flawless album, my personal favorite, and I can listen to it today and not be bored for a second.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz3R60sYlvU

no...i don't think so

[Omphaloskepsis]

1. It Was Written... My fave NAS album..

This album completely changed the way I skate. I used to always listen to this when I would skate.. It helped me make the transition from big and powerful (when I would listen to punk) to skating really technical.

[Forkboy]

2. I always liked this one

[Starbucks Anarchist]

3. Yes, but Illmatic is still amazing.

EDIT: Have you heard the Nas/Al Green mashup?

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=133325510

[gmoney]

4. Old School... "Paul's Boutique"

Love that thing...